Flame
by angelrider13
Summary: A chance encounter with the fire has left the small flame burning brighter. When the fire is nearly extinguished, will the flame be able to handle it? SpitfirexOC
1. Encounter

**Okay, so this fic is completely spur of the moment. I mean the idea for this literally just exploded in my mind; the plot, the conflict, the characters, _everything_.**

**Yay for random fic ideas that I become completely dedicated to! ^^**

**I decided to do it in first person, which is a first for me, so sorry if it sounds a little weird.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, if I did, I would make it a lot less random and confusing....**

**ONWARD!!!! XD**

**~Flame~**

**Encounter**

I sighed, turning to my best friend. "Why am I here again?"

"Because Sarah," she replied, "I told you to come."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that's a good reason."

"Yes. It is. Now hush up."

I stuck my tongue out at her before returning to my book. My best friend in the world, Yoko Kisaragi, had dragged me to the other side of town just so she could get a hair cut. Like I didn't have better things to do. Apparently the guy who runs this place is drop dead gorgeous; according to all the girls at school anyway. I wouldn't know; I've never been here before. But I was guessing it was true because all the other girls in the room, including Yoko, were blushing and fiddling with their clothes and hair, trying to make themselves look better.

I didn't care how I looked. Probably why I was the only one in the room wearing jeans and a simple T-shirt. If I was this guy, I don't think I would be able to stand all the blushing, giggling girls. I sighed again, ignoring them, focusing on my book.

About twenty minutes later, I was interrupted.

"What can I do for you miss?"

I looked up to see a tall man standing in front of me. He didn't look that much older than me, probably in his mid-twenties. I'm guessing he was the owner of the place, considering the way the other girls swooned over his presence. I vaguely wondered if he had become vain, and expected all girls to fawn over him that way. Though, looking him up and down, I have to admit, he was pretty good looking.

He had warm, red eyes and wavy, flaming orange hair that reminded me of fire. He was dressed rather simply; in a black, long-sleeve turtleneck and a pair of dark jeans. His voice was warm and gentle, as was his smile.

I closed my book, marking my place, and put it in my lap. "Actually, I'm with love struck here." I replied, gesturing to Yoko.

The man chuckled. "Well that's too bad," he said, taking a lock of my layered, copper-brown hair and running it through his fingers, "I would have loved to style such lovely hair."

I raised my eyebrows at his forwardness. Then I realized that he wasn't flirting with me; he was simply giving a compliment. He gave me another smile before taking Yoko to the back for her hair cut. I sat quietly for a moment, trying to figure out what just happened. Then, being annoyed with all these girls and curiosity getting the better of me, I put my book in my bag, grabbed it, and walked to the back.

I saw the man had started on Yoko's hair, while she simply stared, blushing, at his reflection.

I sighed. "Honestly, Yoko, if you weren't my best friend, I'd be making comments on how pathetic you are right now."

The two turned to me, surprised. "What are you doing back here?" Yoko hissed. I guess I was interrupting her "alone time" with her crush. I walked over and leaned on the counter, my back facing the mirror, arms crossed over my chest. "What did you expect? You left me alone with those blushing idiots. You know me better than that."

The man chuckled, having resumed cutting Yoko's midnight hair.

"What's your name anyway?" I asked. I mean I had to have something I could refer to him by. He looked up briefly, warm red meeting my cool green-blue.

"Spitfire." He said simply.

"That's an odd name…" Yoko hit my leg. "Ow! What? I was expressing an opinion!"

Spitfire chuckled. "So what's your name?" he asked.

"Sarah." I said. "I'm this idiot's best friend."

"Hey!" Yoko cried.

"Don't "hey" me! You're the one who dragged me all the way here." I replied. "I have better things to do than spend my afternoon surrounded by love struck girls." I turned to Spitfire. "I have no idea how you deal with it; I'd go crazy."

He shrugged. "You get used to it."

"I don't see how."

He laughed. The three of us carried on like that for the next fifteen minutes. Finally, Spitfire put down his scissors and stood back.

"What do you think?" he asked

Yoko looked at herself in the mirror. Her long midnight locks only reached to her shoulder now, rather than her waist.

Yoko smiled. "I love it!"

"Finally!" I grabbed Yoko's hand and dragged her back to the front, Spitfire smiling as he followed us. I waited for Yoko to pay and then proceeded to drag her out the door. Before we left I turned back to Spitfire and waved. "It was nice meeting you!"

He waved back, a smile on his lips. "You as well."

Sure his fangirls were annoying, but he wasn't such a bad guy.

**Yay! First chapter done! ^^**

**I feel really good about thins fic, so please review it! I want to know if you guys like it to. This is my first Air Gear fic though, so please be nice....  
**


	2. Friends

**Woo! Second chapter! XD**

**No one has reviewed yet.....is it bad? I thought it was good...**

**Disclaimer: I owns nufin.**

**~Chapter 2~**

**Friends  
**

A week later, I sat at a table outside my favorite café with a cup of coffee and my laptop. Today I wore a pair of dark jeans with a pale, light blue top that made my eyes look more blue than green. I was unaware of my surroundings as I stared at my computer screen, proofreading my English assignment.

"Is this seat taken?"

"No, go ahead." I said as I looked up. I did a double take as Spitfire took the seat across from me. "Whoa! Where'd you come from?"

He laughs at my reaction. "Am I not aloud to venture outside my salon?" he asks with a smile.

I frown. "Ha ha. Very funny."

A blushing waitress came over and asked Spitfire if he would like to order anything. I rolled my eyes and looked back at my computer, to absorbed to hear his answer. A few minutes later, she came back with a cup of coffee and placed it in front of Spitfire. He thanked her, smiling. I swear she would have fainted on the spot if her boss hadn't called her back over.

"I still don't know how you deal with it." I said looking over my screen at him, my fingers skimming over the keyboard. He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "Perhaps I just have more patience than you."

I rolled my eyes as I took a sip of my own coffee, making a face as the bitter, warm liquid passed my lips. Spitfire noticed. "What's wrong? Don't like coffee?" he teased.

"I hate it." I said simply.

"Then why drink it?" he asked.

"It keeps me awake."

Spitfire smiled and shook his head. He must have notice that my attention wonder back to my laptop because he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Working on my English assignment."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're a student?"

I nodded. "I go to the university on the other side of town."

"Huh. I would've pegged you as a high school student with your maturity level."

I gaped at him. What do you know? Mr. Nice guy can be sarcastic. "Well, old timer," I replied, recovering, "I'll have you know I'm twenty years old."

"Hey! I'm not that old! I'm only twenty-five!"

I laughed as he pouted at me. He sighed and changed the subject. "So what are you writing?"

"It's just a short story."

"A story?"

"Yeah. I'm majoring in English so I can be a writer."

"Do you mind if I take a look?" he asked. I shook my head and turned the screen towards him so he could read it. When he was done he turned my laptop back. "It's good." He said impressed.

Surprised, I blushed. "Thanks." I said softly.

"You're blushing." He said, resting his head on one hand.

This only made my blush darken. "No. Really? I hadn't noticed." I said sarcastically. I took a breath, calming myself down and tried to fight down my blush. "I just wasn't expecting the praise, okay? I don't show my work to a lot of people."

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely confused.

I shrugged. "I guess I'm just shy when it comes to my writing."

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "You shy?"

"Oh, shut up." I said, lightly kicking his leg under the table. He laughed. "It's just when I write, I don't know, it's like my feelings are in total control. I'm free to do whatever I want, and I don't have to be scared of what I can't do. I don't really know how to explain it. It just makes me feel free…" I stopped, realizing that I was rambling. "Sorry," I said quickly, "That probably sounded really stupid just now."

To my surprise, he shook his head, a gentle smile on his lips. "No. Everyone has something like that. It's not stupid."

I looked at my lap. "Thanks."

I put my laptop away, saving my work. I swung my legs around so that they weren't under the table. Instead of wearing shoes, I wore A-Ts. That's why I was outside the café. I don't compete on a team or anything; I just use them to get around. Spitfire noticed and looked up at me, surprised.

"You ride A-Ts?" he asked.

I nodded. "Only for about five months. It's a good thing I used to do gymnastics, the tricks come in handy."

"Are you on a team?"

I raised an eyebrow, resting my head in my hand. "Why? Are you recruiting, Mighty Flame King?" When he stared at me eyebrows raised, I laughed. "What? You have hundreds of fangirls and you didn't think one of them would try to dig up some dirt on you? Word spreads fast on campus." I gave him a crooked smile. "No, I'm not on a team. I just use them to get around. It's more exciting to fly through the sky than it is to walk on the ground."

Spitfire smiled at me and stood, offering me his hand. Confused, I looked at him questioningly. "Let's fly together." I looked at his feet and saw that he too wore A-Ts. I smiled and took his hand. He put some money on the table for his coffee (I had already paid for mine) and I grabbed my bag. I let him guide me out of the café and for the first few minutes of our flight. When I let go of his hand and our eyes held each others for a moment.

We smirked, the unspoken challenge sent. The race through the sky was on.

~0*0~

Spitfire won the race, of course.

I sat on a bench in the park we had stopped at, trying to catch my breath.

"You're not too bad, for a beginner."

I looked up to see Spitfire standing over me with a can of juice in each hand. He offered me one. I took it smirking.

"You're not too bad yourself, for a King."

He smiled and took a seat next to me, spreading his arms over the back of the bench. I took a swig of my juice and leaned my head back so that it rested on his arm. With a quick glance over at him, I knew he didn't mind.

It was strange; I hadn't known him for very long, but I felt really comfortable around him.

"Hey, Spitfire?" I asked softly.

"Hmm?"

I turned my head to the side so I was looking at him. "Why do you ride A-Ts?"

He paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. Then he turned to me, a soft smile gracing his features. "For the same reason you write, I suppose."

I smiled back at him, laughing lightly. "So A-Ts are your "something", as you put it."

He nodded, taking a sip of his juice. I changed positions so that my head rested in the crook of his arm, rather than just on it. I noticed him smiling down at me from the corner of my eye as I watched the sky.

~0*0~

We ended up hanging out the whole day and exchanging phone numbers and emails at the end of it. We've hung out a couple times since then.

A few weeks later, I was sitting in a lecture hall at the university, waiting for class to start, when Yoko bounced up to me.

"So how long have you two been dating?" she asked, an excited glimmer in her eye.

I turned to her, eyebrows raised. "Excuse me?"

Yoko pulled out her phone and showed me a picture on it. It was of me and Spitfire. We were walking down the street, laughing about something. Going by what we were wearing, the picture was taken from when we hung out two days ago.

I sighed, rubbing my temples, trying to keep my patience. "Where did you get that?"

"I took it when I saw you two from across the street." She said smugly. I raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't worry, I haven't shown anyone else, and I don't plan on it."

"Good." I replied. "And we're not dating."

She stared at me, mouth hanging open. I pushed it closed for her. "Why are you so eager anyway? I thought you liked him."

Yoko recovered and flapped her hand at me. "It's just a silly crush. It's like obsessing over a rock star you know you will never have." She sighed dreamily and I rolled my eyes. Yoko went back to being serious. "But YOU, have a chance to have him."

"Yoko, we're just friends."

She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "I don't believe you."

I sighed, but our argument was put on pause as our professor walked in and started class. Yoko slipped into the seat next to me, sending me stern glances throughout the entire lecture. When it was over, we both stood to leave and Yoko grabbed my arm.

"Hey, Yoko, what--"

"We are going to the café, and you are going to tell me when this started and what exactly has been going on."

I groaned. "Yoko, I told you, we're not dating!"

Before she could argue back, our professor called me over. When I reached her, she handed me back my most recent story. It had an almost perfect mark on it. She smiled at me.

"You're really improving, Sarah." She told me.

I blushed. "Oh, thanks."

"So has something good happened in your life?"

I gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Your writing, for most of your recent works anyway, has been very upbeat, happy." She explained.

I smiled. "Well I guess you could say I'm really happy with the way my life is going right now."

She returned my smile. "I'm glad to hear it. Keep up the good work, I actually grade yours myself you know." She winked at me. "That'll be our little secret."

I laughed. "Sure thing. Thanks, Professor."

I waved to her as I ran to catch Yoko as she exited the room.

~0*0~

Another couple of months have pasted, and Spitfire and I were still hanging out. We have gotten really close, actually, and Yoko teases me about it to no end. One of the snobbier girls in our class, Mika, overheard us arguing about him in class and scoffed. Like we would actually know Spitfire.

I just rolled my eyes and ignored her, which I think just pissed her off more because she huffed and stomped off. I guess she was one of the more dedicated fangirls. It amazed me how girls in college clung to the high school cliques like a lifeline. You'd think they would have something better to do. Guess not.

Spitfire taught me a lot about his world, the A-T world. He told me about kings and their regalia. He told me a little about a team called Sleeping Forest that he used to be on, but there was some sort of disagreement and the team split up. He even told me about this new team called Kogarasumaru.

He also taught me some tricks, and I've improved a lot on my A-Ts.

Anyway, I've let Yoko tag along a couple times when I go to see Spitfire. The first time, she pretty much melted. Her "crush" was still very much alive. But she managed to calm down later and act like a normal person. She told me she would back off so we could be together.

She doesn't seem to grasp that there isn't a "we". But she still insists. Best friends are annoying.

Still, the more I think about her words, the more merit they seem to have. I'm still not sure if there is a "we", but I know that I feel very strongly about Spitfire. I'm not telling Yoko, though, because I would never hear the end of it.

**End of second chapter! Lot long than the first it was.**

**Things are gonna get kinda crazy in the next chapter! So review! Or I won't post it! **

**All you have to do is click the green button. It isn't that hard. Just takes a minute. Do it. You know you want to. Please?  
**


	3. Night of Fire

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update, but it's here now! ^^**

**I would like to thank my first two reviewers, I'm-So-Loveable and Akamura! Thanks so much for the feedback! I hope you enjoy the new chapter! XD**

**Disclaimer: Still got nufin...**

**~Chapter 3~**

**Night of Fire  
**

It was night and I couldn't sleep, so I was riding my A-Ts around the city. The night air felt cool on my face as I flew through the air. My hair was tied back in a ponytail, though a few strands had escaped and caressed my face. I wore a white, long-sleeve turtleneck and light jeans. I sighed and jumped from the building I was standing on to reach the ground. Nights I couldn't sleep on were so boring now. Flying wasn't much fun without Spitfire. I looked up and an orange glow atop a building a couple blocks away caught my attention. The building had caught fire.

I don't know why, but for some reason, I was drawn to the fire's glow; as if something was calling out to me. The call itself was weak and pained, but the effect it had on me was strong and powerful. In a matter of seconds, I had scaled the side of the skyscraper and landed on the top. What I saw made me burn with pain.

Surrounded by a circle of flames, bloodied, bruised, and broken, was Spitfire's motionless body. My mind went blank, any thoughts shattering the instant they formed. Pain welled up in my chest and my eyes stung. My voice died in my throat and my skin felt incredibly hot. At first, I thought it was the fire's heat brushing my body, but it felt more like my skin was _absorbing_ the heat.

Though my eyes stayed locked on Spitfire's body, I was dimly aware of two other people standing over him. Well, one of them was in a wheel chair. He rolled over to me, but I hardly noticed. I my heart ached and it felt like fire was pumping through my veins, like it was slowly consuming me.

The man in the wheel chair grabbed my elbow, as if he was about to say something, but as soon as he touched me, he jerked his hand back. I turned to him, face blank, eyes dead. I felt numb; like this wasn't real. Like I was outside my body, watching everything unfold. The skin on his hand was smoking and red as if touching me had burned him. As hot as I felt, it didn't surprise me.

"Sora!" The other man called out to him.

The man in the wheel chair, Sora, waved him off. "I'm fine." He turned back to me, not really sure what to make of me. "Who and what are you?" he asked, awed.

I stared at him blankly. He held my eyes, raising his eyebrows when he noticed the lack of emotion and life in them. I felt the fire in me increase. My hair forced itself free of its tie, whipping wildly at my face and neck. Sora rolled back some.

Looking straight into Sora's eyes, I whispered, "It burns…."

I turned back to Spitfire's body and saw that the flames were closer to consuming him. I don't want that, a voice in my head whispered, make the flames stop. Slowly, I rolled forward on my A-Ts, my eyes locked on the fire. It began to retreat, turning to me instead. By the time I had reached Spitfire's body, the flames were circling me.

The other man regarded me cautiously, as if I would lash out at any moment. I reached my right hand out to him. He backed up as all of the flames jumped to my arm. I looked at him with my dead eyes.

"Why does it burn?" I whispered.

The flames circled my wrist, and clamped down on it. The fire ringing my arm did the same. I drew my hand back and examined my arm. The fire burned into my flesh, but it didn't hurt, it was just extremely hot. The flames on my arm died and I lowered it to my side.

I knelt next to Spitfire and, as gently as possible, I scooped him up into my arms. It was awkward, as he was bigger than me, but I hardly noticed. I stood and turned back to the two men, who were watching me carefully.

I don't know where the words came from. But I said them, loud enough for the men to hear.

"I flame will not die." I said tonelessly.

I saw their eyes widen in surprise, but that was all, because a minute later, I was on the ground again, three blocks away from the building.

~0*0~

I sat in the waiting room at the private Shock and Trauma Center in the city. They had an extremely strict policy of confidentiality, so I knew Spitfire would be safe. I didn't have to worry about newspaper leaks or someone barging into his room that shouldn't be there. I don't really know why something like that bothered me; but at the moment, I didn't really focus on it. My older brother, Theodore, also worked here as one of the head doctors. He was ten years my senior, but despite the age difference we were close.

I sat rail straight, my hands clenched so tightly in my lap that my knuckles were white. I stared at the clock on the opposite wall. I don't know why though, none of it seemed to register. It was almost like time had stopped. I ignored the stares of the others in the room; I knew I looked bad.

I was covered in Spitfire's blood, the dark crimson staining my light clothes, which were burned and torn. My right sleeve was completely shredded, the remaining fabric black and falling apart. My hair was a mess and soot covered my face. My eyes still stung from the smoke, but I had yet to cry. To be honest, I don't even know what happened on that building.

But I didn't care how I looked, even less so than usual. I still felt numb, like this body wasn't mine, like I was seeing through someone else's eyes.

"Sarah."

A soft voice called me and I turned to see my brother. He was about the same height as Spitfire. We had the same eyes and his short hair was a darker brown than mine.

I jerked out of my chair and followed him down the hall, away from the waiting room. He led me to an office I guessed was his. He sat at the desk and motioned for me to sit in the chair across from him. I did so. He didn't say anything, just folded his hands and rested his head on them.

"Theo?" I asked. His eyes held mine and I was suddenly very afraid of what he would say.

He sighed, lowering his hands and sitting up. "It's not good Sarah."

"But you can save him, right? You can help him, right?" I struggled to keep my voice steady. My brother's eyes looked at me, they held pity or sympathy; I don't know which, but I didn't like it.

Theo ran a hand through his hair. "We've managed to stabilize him." He said finally. I released a breath. He shuffled through some papers on his desk reading them over. "He's in some pretty rough shape. Both of his legs are broken and his left hip is fractured. He has four broken ribs, two on each side, though through luck or grace, none of them pierced his lungs. Several of his other ribs are fractured and all of them are bruised." He paused, taking in my expression before continuing. "His left collarbone and wrist are broken. All of the fingers on his right hand are broken and so is his arm. He has a cracked skull, but no internal bleeding as far as we can tell. On top of that he is covered in what appear to be stab wounds, including a deep gash on his forehead. He also has various burns, mostly on his left side and across his chest. At the moment, he appears to be comatose." He stopped and put his papers down.

I stared at him in horror. "Will…will he be okay?" I managed to ask, my voice coming out as a harsh whisper.

"If you had brought him in any later, he wouldn't even have a chance."

"And what exactly are his chances now?" I asked, scared of the answer, but needing to know.

Theo held my eyes for a long time. After what seemed like an eternity, he answered. "There's an eighty percent chance he won't make it." He said softly. I stared at him, eyes wide in shock. My brother walked over to kneel in front of me, gently resting his hands on my knees. "He lost a lot of blood, sis. He has a lot to over come if he--"

"Take mine." I said, interrupting him. A determined spark surged through me.

"What?"

I held out my right arm, ripping off the remains of my sleeve. "Take my blood and give it to him. Don't look at me like that, I've got Type O blood; I can give to who ever the hell I want."

Theo stared at my arm. "Sarah, that burn needs to be treated."

"Treat the burn later, blood now." I knew why he was hesitating. "Now."

"But," He looked at me, noticing the fire in me otherwise dull eyes, and sighed, "….fine."

We got up and he led me to another room. I sat down in a chair, waiting for him to get everything ready. When he was he started moving to my left side. "No. From my right arm."

"Sarah, you have a serious burn--"

"It has to be from my right." I don't know why I was so determined, but it felt right. Spitfire needed the blood from my right arm, the one touched by fire.

He sighed and moved to my other side. "Are you sure?" he asked.

I nodded, turning my head away. I couldn't look at the needle or I'd get queasy. I hated needles; I was absolutely terrified by them. I felt something prick my arm and somehow I managed to keep it relaxed. I bit my lip, trying to think of something else.

~0*0~

Theo had rubbed my arm down with an aloe salve and was currently bandaging it up. The burn would scar, I could tell that much. It ringed around my entire wrist and spread up my arm to my shoulder in a pattern that resembled flames. The pattern was precise and clear. If it wasn't for the blisters and the peeling skin, it could have been a tattoo.

"I want to see him." I said as Theo tied off my bandage.

He frowned. "I don't know if that's a good idea. He just got out of surgery."

"I need to see him." I said more urgently.

I think my brother could tell I was desperate, that I was about to break. He took me by the hand and led me down the hall as if I was a child. He stopped at a room and opened the door. I walked to the bed cautiously, staring.

Spitfire lay in the bed, oxygen mask covering his face. There was a bandage wrapped around forehead and his cheeks were bruised and covered with various, small cuts. But that was all I could see, the rest of his body was covered by a blanket. IV bags hung from stands by his bed, one I recognized as holding my blood. The steady beeping of a heart monitor filled the room. The sound caused a wave of relief to wash over me. He was alive, severely injured, but alive. That was the reassurance I needed.

My hand reached out to grip the blanket covering him. I needed to see what happened to him. I started to pull it aside, but stopped. I was scared of what I might find. Did I really want to know? Would I be able to handle it? My hand started trembling. Suddenly, another hand was placed over mine, gently drawing it away from the blanket. I turned.

Yoko.

"Theo called me." She explained. She wrapped an arm around me, steering me away from the bed. "Let's get you home."

I didn't say anything, my voice had died. My determination from earlier had long faded, along with all of the adrenaline in my system. I felt hollow, like an empty shell. My eyes held no emotion as Theo kissed me goodbye, a worried expression on his face. When we got to the apartment we shared, Yoko made me take a shower. I washed my hair and the soot and blood from my body. Yoko threw away my wrecked clothes and tried to make me eat something, but I pushed everything away, the food making my stomach turn.

Eventually, she gave up and sent me to bed.

~0*0~

The next day, I went to Spitfire's house. I unlocked the door with the key he had given me and stepped inside. His scent hit me and I inhaled deeply, taking it in. I wandered aimlessly, running my fingertips over walls, furniture, books, dishes, everything. Everything here reminded me of him.

When I reached the living room, I saw a picture sitting on one of the shelves against the wall. It was of me and him. We were smiling, his arm slung over my shoulders. I remembered the picture. Yoko had taken it. We had been in the park and she had just popped out of nowhere. She had probably been following us. She must have given Spitfire a copy of the picture after she got the film developed.

I traced the frame, my lips trembling. My hand suddenly drew back to cover my mouth as a sob escaped it. I fell to my knees and, for the first time, I cried. I sobbed, curled into a ball on the floor. I screamed his name, wanting him to come, but knowing he wouldn't. I wished for him to walk through the door and see me. I wanted him to take me in his arms and tell me everything would be okay. For him to wipe away my tears, to stroke my hair, to sooth me. I wanted him to hold me and never let me go. I wanted him to be with me.

I wanted him to love me, like I loved him.

**So there you have it! **

**I made myself really depressed when I wrote this chapter....**

**More feedback would be nice! Please?  
**


	4. Depression

**Hi everybody!**

**So time for chapter 4....ummmm that's about it. I don't really have anything to say......wow, that's a first...**

**So I guess...ONWARD!!!**

**Disclaimer: I still got nufin.**

**~Chapter 4~**

**Depression  
**

I lay on the floor of mine and Yoko's apartment, staring at the ceiling. It had been about a week and a half since….ya know. I had locked myself away. I didn't go to any of my classes. If it wasn't for Yoko, I probably wouldn't be eating anything. It was almost like I was dead. I didn't go anywhere, I barely said anything, I barely did anything other than sleep or stare at the ceiling. I still wrote, though. Yoko gave me copies of her notes from class. I did my assignments and gave them to Yoko to hand in. But that was it.

"I'm home."

I rolled over and watched her walk around the corner. Yoko sighed. "Have you been lying on the floor all day?" she asked. I rolled back onto my back, ignoring her. She walked over and knelt next to me. "I think you should come to class tomorrow."

"Why?" I asked, my voice hoarse with disuse.

Yoko was startled, having gotten a response from me. She recovered quickly. "You've been out for more than a week. Professor Shina is worried about you. You never miss class."

I stayed silent.

Yoko frowned, worried. Then she took a risk, a big risk. She said his name. "Spitfire wouldn't want you to behave this way because of him."

I sat up, eyes blazing. "Don't say his--"

Something in Yoko snapped. "Don't you say anything!" she said sternly. I was shocked into silence. "Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with you! You save his life, and then you don't even go to see him. Sure he's in a coma, sure his chances are slim, but he's not _dead_. And here you are moping around like a lost puppy. You cut classes, you don't go out, you barely talk. Who's taking care of him? You can still talk to him, he'll hear you. But what have you been doing? Wallowing in self-pity. Some friend you are." Yoko glared at me fiercely.

I stared at her, mouth agape, shocked. After about a minute of silence, I whispered, "I'll go to class tomorrow." Yoko didn't smile, but she gave a satisfied nod. When she stood to leave, I tugged on her shirt tail. She turned back to me, face blank. I looked at her, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. "I didn't go to see him because I didn't want to see him so broken." I said softly. My tears stared spilling over and I looked at the floor to try and hide them.

I felt arms wrap around me and Yoko shushed me as I cried into her shoulder.

"Why don't you go visit him after class tomorrow?" she asked when I had calmed down.

I nodded. "Okay."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

I shook my head.

Yoko stood. Suddenly, a huge smile spread across her face. "Well, now that that's out of the way, time for homework!" She turned to retrieve her bag from the floor.

"Yoko?" I called softly. She turned to me and I smiled at her. "Thanks."

She returned my smile. "No problem."

~0*0~

Yoko and I walked into class the next day and took our seats. I was still pretty out of it, but I wasn't as bad as I had been. Yoko's speech the other day had knocked some sense into me. I ignored the stares I got from the other students. I wore a short sleeve shirt, revealing the bandages that covered my entire right arm. I could already hear rumors being spread about why I was wearing them. As for the rest of me, not much better. I was wearing decent clothes, courtesy of Yoko. My copper-brown hair was piled on top of my head in a messy bun and I had bags under my eyes; I was exhausted. I hadn't been sleeping well at all. It's hard to, when whenever you close your eyes you see blood and fire.

Yoko was helping me do some last minute review of her notes from last class, when Professor Shina walked in. She glanced up at me, and a relieved smile crossed her lips. Yoko had given her a note from my brother explaining that I had been in an accident and had been severely burned, so I would probably be out for a while. I nodded greeting and she stated class.

When the lecture was over, I slumped in my chair. I had to readjust to classes, and it wasn't fun. It wasn't that bad though, could be worse.

"Well look who decided to show today."

Great. It just got worse.

I looked up to see Mika standing over me. She grabbed my right hand, looking at my arm, and sneered. "What is this? Some kind of new fashion trend?" She dropped my hand. I let it thump heavily on the table. "You try way too hard. First you pretend to know Spitfire and now you're trying to be fashionable. What's next? You suddenly become rich?" Mika laughed, as if she had made a hilarious joke. I just stared at her blankly.

"What about you?" Yoko snapped, losing her temper. "Are you just a bitch by nature? Or do you stand in front of the mirror and practice every morning?"

Mika was momentarily stunned. A small smile made its way to my lips as I grabbed my bag and stood. Yoko turned to me.

"You going to see him?" she asked.

I nodded.

"What? Going to see who?" Mika asked, perking up at the word "him".

"Her brother, you dolt." Yoko lied. I had already told her not to say anything about Spitfire's whereabouts. For some reason, I felt like it would be a bad thing if word got out that he was alive.

Mika snorted. "Right. Who was I to think you actually had a guy." She laughed. "No one would want you anyway!"

Yoko glared at her furiously. I put my hand on her shoulder and, when she turned to me, I shook my head. She sighed and turned away. Mika, not wanting to be ignored, tried to provoke Yoko into an argument as I walked away.

When I reached the door, Professor Shina stopped me. She handed me some papers, but this time, she did not smile. "Is everything alright, Sarah?" she asked worriedly. When I just looked at her, she continued. "The tone of your writing has suddenly changed; it's done a complete one-eighty."

I shook my head. "No everything is not alright."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I looked my professor straight in the eye. "If my writing cannot express the pain I am going through, nothing can." With that, I turned and walked out of the room.

~0*0~

I walked into his room and pulled a chair over so I could sit next to his bed. He was still pale, head bandaged, and covered by a blanket. The cuts and bruises on his face were almost completely gone, his face still covered by the oxygen mask.

"Hey, Spitfire." I said softly, leaning over to gently stroke his cheek. "Sorry it took so long for me to come and see you. I was scared of seeing you so broken." I paused, removing my hand. "It almost broke me last time."

I stayed for a couple hours, talking to him as I did work on my laptop. When I found out he was still having issues with his blood count, I forced my brother to take more blood from me. The experience was different this time, as I was more aware of what was happening. When the needle was removed from my arm, I ran down the hall to the bathroom to empty my stomach. Yep, defiantly still hated needles.

They hooked my blood up to Spitfire and I stayed for about another hour. When I left, I told him I'd be back tomorrow and gave him a light, quick kiss on the cheek.

After that, I headed to Spitfire's house, rather than my apartment. When I got there, I opened most of the windows and dropped my stuff on the couch. I stood quietly for a moment, looking at the picture that had caused my breakdown. I traced its frame, but when I pulled my finger away, dust covered it. I sighed and started cleaning.

I dusted, vacuumed, and scrubbed the house, top to bottom. I cleaned out the refrigerator and threw away everything that was perishable. When I was done, I left for home, grabbing a bite to eat on the way. The sky was dark when I finally entered my apartment. Yoko asked me a bunch of questions, which I answered to the best of my ability. She finished and I dragged myself to my room, collapsed on my bed, and fell asleep.

**Wooooo! Another chapter complete!**

**Still sad...but things will get better, I promise. I'm going to try to finish this fic before Easter, just so you guys know.**

**Please review and let me know what you think! ^^**

**P.S. Sorry for the shortness...I'll try to make the next one longer...  
**


	5. Hope's Flame

**Chapter 5, everybody!**

**Thanks to all my reviewers so far! ^^**

**Disclaimer: Why do I still have to type this...it's pretty obvious...**

**~Chapter 5~**

**Hope's Flame  
**

I was walking back to my apartment after visiting Spitfire. I decided to take a detour through the park simply because I hadn't been there in a while; I missed the way the wind laughed as it blew through the trees. I wore a pair of jean caprice and a sky blue tank top with a black hoody over it. I had my A-Ts strapped to my feet and a rolled slowly through the park, reading the book I held in my hand as I went.

I noticed a boy a couple feet away. He wore a middle school uniform with a hoody tucked underneath the jacket. A beanie covered his blond hair and he was concentrating on the laptop in his lap. I vaguely thought he must be doing something important. As I drew closer, I heard noises coming from the small computer. A game maybe?

"_The point is, this is where you need the most improvement. Work on that for now, Kazu-kun."_

I froze. A voice I hadn't heard in ages. My book slipped through my fingers, creating a soft thud as it hit the ground. The boy jumped and looked up at me, startled, as tears started streaming down my face.

"Hey," he said, concerned, "Are you okay?"

Before I could stop it, his name slipped through my lips. "Spitfire…"

~0*0~

We were sitting on a bench and Kazu handed me a can of juice.

"Thank you, Kazu-kun."

"You're welcome." He took a big sip of his from his own can. He glanced at me as if he wanted to say something, but was unsure how. "Ummm…Sarah-san?" I glanced at him. "So…you knew Spitfire?"

I smiled softly at him. "Yeah. We were close."

He raised his eyebrows. "Define 'close'."

I laughed. "Hmmm. How to put in terms a middle school kid would understand?"

"Hey!"

I chuckled, pulling out the key to Spitfire's house, which I carried on me at all times, and held it up for Kazu to see. "Close enough to have the key to his house, but not enough to be dating."

Kazu gapped at the key. "You have the key to the Flame King's house?"

"Former Flame King." I corrected. "According to what I hear, he left his title to some kid on Kogarasumaru." I smirked, having already figured out who Kazu was.

"Are you a Storm Rider?" he asked, confused.

"No, but I'm not half bad at A-Ts. I can tie Spitfire in a run." I replied.

"Seriously?!"

I laughed again. "Well maybe not quite, but close to it." I took a sip from my can. "So I hear you've inherited his Flame Regalia."

Kazu immediately became solemn, his eyes losing their glow. He turned away from me, pulling his cap down over his eyes.

"Kazu-kun?"

"I lost it." He mumbled.

"What?"

"I lost it. I lost his Regalia. I let someone steal them!" he cried, his voice shaking.

I reached out and put my hand on his shoulder. "Hey," I said softly. I lightly gripped his chin and turned his face toward me, pulling his cap up so I could see his eyes. There was a deep pain in his eyes that I recognized; grief, failure, he felt he had betrayed Spitfire and lost his last memory of him. "They're just A-Ts." He was about to say something when I placed my thumb over his lips. "Besides, you inherited something more important. Something no one can steal from you." I pulled my hand away and let it rest in my lap.

Kazu looked confused. "But he didn't give me anything else."

I chuckled. "Silly Kazu-kun. This isn't something you can see."

"Then what…?"

"He gave you his fire, his hope." I said softly.

Kazu gave me a warm smile that reminded me so much of Spitfire, my chest ached. "Thank you, Sarah-san."

~0*0~

I was sitting at my place by Spitfire's bed, talking to him as usual. He no longer needed the oxygen mask to breath, and the bandages covering his head were gone, his face completely healed. Amazingly, he had no scars, though I knew that wouldn't be the case with the rest of his body. His arms had been moved so that they now rested on top of the blanket. Theo had told me that his bones were not completely healed, but they were making progress. The bruises and cuts covering his body had healed, as had the "stab" wounds that had made him lose so much blood. His burns had healed, but left scars.

I sighed lightly. "Hi, Spitfire." I paused, listening to the steady beeping of the heart monitor. After a moment, I said, "I met Kazu-kun today. He's a good kid; I see why you chose him." I stroked his cheek, recalling my conversation with him. "He lost your Regalia though. Someone stole them. He's beating himself up over it, but I think he can manage. Says Ikki knocked some sense into him."

I continued talking to Spitfire for another hour before I had to leave, promising that I'd be back tomorrow.

~0*0~

I was sitting at one of the outside tables at my favorite café, typing. Since my meeting with Kazu over a month ago, Professor Shina noticed another change in my writing; it was hopeful. I smiled at the thought; Kazu's fire was my hope now. I had been tracking his team's progress since my encounter with him. Kazu didn't disappoint, he and his team had made a lot of progress.

I continued typing until someone called out to me.

"Sarah-san?"

Startled, I looked up. Kazu was standing outside the café gate with a girl his age. She wore a school uniform and had shoulder-length black hair.

"Kazu-kun?"

He smiled and jumped the gate. "Me an' Emily were just heading to practice." He said, gesturing to the girl, who, in my opinion, looked slightly pissed at the fact that Kazu was talking to me. "You wanna come watch?" he asked.

I checked my watch. It was about five o'clock. I had already visited Spitfire and I didn't have classes the next day. I smiled up at Kazu. "Sure."

I changed into my A-Ts, throwing my shoes into my bag. I followed Kazu and Emily, talking to them along the way. I learned that Kazu was just a little bit oblivious when it came to Emily. The girl was totally in love with him! And he didn't even see it! Boys.

We reached a middle school which I'm guessing was theirs, and went to the back. Emily ran off to change, returning in a track outfit with a Kogarasumaru jacket. The rest of Kazu's teammates, one girl and four boys, stared at me.

The girl was the only one not wearing a team jacket, so I guessed she wasn't an official member. One of the boys was a little taller than Kazu and had black spiky hair. The guy standing next to him was shorter, but much more intimidating. He had midnight blue hair and an eye patch over one of his eyes, the other was an intense, glowing gold. The third guy towered above me. He had chocolate skin and friendly violet eyes. The last guy was also short, but he was round to.

Before Kazu could say anything, I spoke. "So this is the famous Kogarasumaru I've heard so much about."

The first boy jumped forward. "Ah, so you heard of me. Not surprised, everyone has. I'm famous. But I don't give autographs unless you beg for them."

Kazu sighed and dropped his head in his hand. "Ikki…"

I looked at Ikki. "I don't want an autograph."

Ikki looked horrified. "But surely you are impressed by me?!"

"No." I said simply. "So far the only ones I'm "impressed with", as you say, would be Kazu-kun and him." I pointed to the kid with the eye patch.

Ikki gapped at me. "You're impressed with Kazu and Agito?!

"You've never even seen us ride." Kaze said.

"Don't need to." I replied. "Spitfire wouldn't do what he did for you if you were just some knock off; you have his fire." Kazu stared at me. "And…Agito's aura gives him away. He's been a king for a long time."

Agito glared at me. "Fuck."

I laughed and looked back at Ikki, smirking. "Though if you really are the Sky King, I'm sure it won't take long for you to impress me."

Ikki stared at me, suddenly very serious. Agito asked the question on almost everyone's mind. "Who the hell are you?"

I smiled. "Name's Sarah."

"I met her in the park about a month ago. I invited her to watch practice." Kazu said. He introduced everyone, but they were still a little weary of me.

"You've got A-Ts. You a storm rider?" Buccha asked.

"No I just ride 'cause I can." I sighed, looking up at the sky. The sun was setting. "How can it be so hot when the sun is going down?" I said to no one in particular. I started to take off my hoody when I noticed Onigiri inch closer to me. I paused and glared at him.

"Uh, Onigiri, I wouldn't, she's almost at par with Spitfire." Kazu warned. Onigiri looked at me surprised, as did everyone else.

"What?" I asked. "Just because I'm not a storm rider doesn't mean I can't be good at A-Ts." I took off my hoody, leaving me in a tank top and shorts, and tied it around my waist.

"Holy shit!" I heard Ikki curse.

"Sarah-san, what happened to your arm?" Yayoi asked.

Oh. That's what everyone was freaking out about. I had stopped wearing bandages over my burn a long time ago, and it had, as I predicted, scarred. "Oh, I was caught in a fire a while back." I said simply, running a hand across my burn.

"That's the weirdest burn I've ever seen." Buccha said.

"Yeah, it totally looks like a tattoo! Ya know, accept for the way your skin looks." Emily exclaimed.

"Yeah, I thought so to. I don't really know how it happened that way…." I said, trying to recall exactly what happened that night.

"It's way cool!" Ikki yelled, startling me. When did he get next to me? "I want a cool scar like that too! I want one! I want one! I want one!"

I stared at him as he whined, shock evident on my face. "You want to be thrown in a fire as you watch someone you care about be consumed by it?"

Ikki stopped whining and stared at me, surprised. Realizing what I had said, I covered my mouth with my hand. "And who exactly would this person be?" Ikki asked softly. Slowly, I removed my hand from my mouth. "Spitfire." I sighed.

Everyone stared at me, stunned. "You were there?" Kazu managed to ask.

I nodded. "I got there near the end. You were already gone, Kazu-kun."

The atmosphere had grown solemn and everyone just stood around awkwardly. I sighed. "Aren't you guys supposed to be practicing?"

They snapped out of whatever trance they were in. "Okay!" Ikki shouted. "Time to see how much you've improved your run Kazu!"

We went to the track and Kazu got ready to start. Emily held the stopwatch in her hand. Ikki gave the signal, and Kazu took off. The kid's pretty fast; he was leaving trails of fire behind him.

I smiled. "He would be very proud, Kazu-kun." I whispered to myself. "You've embraced your flame; he will be very proud indeed." I hadn't noticed that I changed "would" to "will".

Agito, who was standing next to me, was the only one to hear. He shot me a sidelong glance, eyeing me suspiciously. I ignored him, and watched as Kazu finished his lap. I wondered when I would be able to tell him that Spitfire wasn't dead.

**And another chapter is complete. Please review!**


	6. Spark

**Hi Everybody! ^^**

**Special thanks to Princess-Lazy-Chan and ShinoxSakura! This chapter is for you guys!**

**Enjoy!**

**~Chapter 6~**

**Spark  
**

It's been several months since that practice. My days had developed a pretty steady routine; I would go the class, visit Spitfire, and every other day, I would go and stay at his house. Occasionally, I would stop by Kazu's middle school and watch Kogarasumaru practice. They've pretty much come to see me as part of the team, since I'm there so much, I even go to some of their battles. I have to admit that Ikki has managed to impress me. I kinda expected it, but it was just too much fun to tease him. They've gotten me to participate in several of their practices, which was actually pretty fun. It was usually something like capture the flag and the team had to catch me.

About a month back, the Gram Scale Tournament came to an end, with Kogarasumaru at the top. I had watched the whole thing on my computer in Spitfire's room. I recognized Sora and the other man, whose name I learned was Nike. I was pretty damn happy when Ikki kicked their asses.

~0*0~

It's been a little over year since Spitfire went into a coma. His body has completely healed, but he still hasn't woken up. I sighed as I walked into his room. I glanced at him before moving to his bedside table and putting the flowers I had brought with me in a vase. I was arranging the flowers when it happened.

"Sarah?" came a soft whisper.

My hands froze in place. Slowly, painfully slowly, I turned my head toward the bed. My eyes met the warm red ones they had so longed to see. As I turned my body to him, he struggled to sit up, his body stiff.

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck." He said.

"Pretty close, actually." I said softly, struggling to keep my voice from shaking. I made my way over to the bed and gingerly sat next to him.

"Shouldn't I be dead?" he asked. "I remember fighting Sora and then…Hey, you alright?"

I had been staring at him eyes wide in shock. I managed to nod. "Yes." I said slowly. "You're just…you woke up…oh my god…you're awake…" I felt tears sting my eyes and forced them back. Seeing the confusion on his face I added, "You've been in a coma for more than a year, Spitfire."

"Well, that explains some things." He mumbled. "Still," he continued, looking at me, "I really shouldn't be alive. What happened?"

Slowly I told him the story. I recalled the night on the roof, but excluded the part about the fire circling me; I still didn't understand that. I told him about my brother, and that I took him to the hospital. When I got to the part about giving blood, my arm trembled, remembering the needle. Spitfire noticed and gently gripped my wrist.

I flashed him a false smile. "It's nothing." He kept looking at me. I sighed. "Fine. I'm terrified of needles, okay?"

He looked at me like he was about to laugh, so I turned away. I didn't need that. I didn't want him to laugh at me for my petty fear like others had. The trembling in my arm increased. Suddenly, I found myself engulfed in warmth, my head resting on his chest.

"Everyone's afraid of something." He said, stroking my hair.

I relaxed into his hold and went back to telling the story, mentioning how the second time I gave blood was worse. I knew what was happening so I threw up after. He tightened his hold on me until my trembling stopped. I summed up everything to Kogarasumaru's victory at the Gram Scale Tournament, not being very specific because I had already told him about it. He nodded that he understood, so I assumed he knew what I was talking about.

When I finished, he sighed. "You've been through quite a lot for me." I turned my head up to look at him. "You didn't have to though."

I frowned at him. "Yes I did. You would have died." Seeing the look on his face, I added, "If you didn't like the thought of me putting myself through all that for you, then don't think about it that way. I did it for my own selfish reasons."

He chuckled. "Such a determined girl."

I playfully stuck my tongue out at him, pulling out of his hold. "I better go tell Theo you're awake." I paused, sliding off the bed, and smiled at him. "Welcome back, Spitfire."

Before I realized what I was doing, I leaned down and pressed my lips to his. When I pulled back I blushed, realizing what I had just done. Spitfire stared up at me, surprised. I ran out of the room before he could say anything.

I didn't see the smile that spread across his lips.

~0*0~

I walked down the hall, toward Spitfire's room. After he woke up a month ago, he had been moved to a regular hospital. He has to go through physical therapy to get his body to work properly again. He says it's annoying, but, hey, at least he can walk. I told him the extent of his injuries, his scars proof of what I said. He's still surprised he's alive.

I knocked on his door when I reached it and walked in, not waiting for an answer. Spitfire was standing by the window, balancing on a pair of crutches. "Hello, Sarah." He said without turning around.

I ran over and gave him a quick hug from behind before retreating to toss my things onto a chair. "You bored?" I asked. The kiss I had given him appeared to be forgotten; it was never mentioned, but I could tell he hadn't forgotten it.

"Completely and utterly." He sighed, turning to face my back.

I took off my hoody, leaving me in a tank top that showed off my scar. Spitfire frowned at it. It hadn't taken him long to discover it and I had to tell him how I got it.

"Well you're only stuck here for another week if you can walk on your own by then." I said, drawing his attention away from my arm. I walked over to him and, before he could do anything, snatched his crutches. I ran to the other side of the room.

"Sarah!"

"Come and get them!" I called.

He groaned. "You're such a pain."

I giggled. "I know."

He sighed and started to walk to me. His steps were shaky and he stumbled a few times, but he eventually made it to me. He snatched his crutches back and I laughed. He glared at me but it vanished as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"You've improved." I said happily.

He smiled at me and ruffled my hair.

~0*0~

Spitfire had been released yesterday and returned home. I couldn't go with him because I had a test, so I was going today. I walked up to his door and knocked on it. A minute later, Spitfire answered, inviting me in with his usual smile. We went into the living room, where I saw a blanket and some of my clothes neatly folded on the couch. I smacked my forehead. Shoot! I forgot they where here!

Spitfire smirked down at me. "It looks like someone's been living here while I was away. Now I wonder who it could be?"

A light blush stained my cheeks. "Yeah, so? I just did it to keep your house clean and lived in." He kept smirking. "What? It's not like I did anything weird like sleep in your bed!" My eyes widened at what I said. Where the heck did that come from?

Spitfire just kept smirking and leaned down so he was at my eye level. "You're blushing." He said in a sing song voice. I turned my head away from him. "Shut up!"

He leaned back and chuckled. "I thought you didn't like love struck girls." He teased.

I smiled. He was teasing me. He was back. I suddenly felt all of my relief, anger, joy, flood into me as I turned back to him. "I am NOT love struck!" I teased back, a smile lighting up my features. I felt tears well up behind my eyes, and, before I could stop them, they fell. "Jerk." I said softly, as my smile faded slowly. I struggled to hold back my flood of emotions, but was failing miserably. His expression changed to one of surprise and I reached up to wipe my tears away and laughed. "What's wrong? Never seen me cry? You should've seen me a year ago; I had a complete break down right here. I don't know why I'm crying this time, though." My tears wouldn't stop, so I let my hands fall to my sides. I looked up at Spitfire's surprised expression. "I don't have a reason to, right?" My voice was timid, unsure.

Spitfire stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest and he rested his chin on top of my head, stroking my hair with one hand. "I was scared." I whispered, my voice slightly muffled by the red fabric of his shirt. "I thought I lost you. What if you didn't wake up? What then?"

"But I did wake up." He said softly.

I pulled away a little to look up at him. "But what if you have to leave again? What if something happens that makes you leave me again? What if--"

His lips seizing mine quieted me in an instant. I stood frozen, completely shocked. One of his hands came up and gently began to wipe away my tears, his other arm firmly wrapped around my waist. Slowly, I became aware of the fire that was sent coursing through my veins at his every touch. My eyes slid shut and I started to kiss him back, my arms coming to wrap around him as I clung desperately to his shirt.

When he pulled away, we were both panting slightly. I looked up at him, surprised and confused. He gave me a gentle smile, brushing a few locks of hair out of my face. "I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

"Promise?" The question sounded childish to me.

He simply smiled and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. "Promise."

I tightened my arms around him, not wanting to let go. "Welcome home, Spitfire." I said softly.

He leaned down so that our foreheads touched. "Thank you, Sarah."

"Umm…Spitfire, I--"

"I know, love." He interrupted.

What? How did he know what I was going to say? That I was about to admit my feelings for him? When did he…wait. Did he just call me "love"?

I stared at him for a moment. "How…?"

"You kissed me, remember? Plus all that stuff you did for me." He ran his hand down my right arm. The sleeve of my shirt hid my scar, but I got his meaning. His touch sent shivers up my spine. "You wouldn't just do that." Spitfire said.

I just stared at him. He smirked and lowered his head so that our lips were only a few centimeters apart. "Am I wrong?" he asked.

Jerk. He knew damn well he was right.

I shook my head and his smirk changed to a gentle smile. I closed the distance between us, kissing him sweetly. I couldn't help but smile against his lips.

**One more chapter complete! I think there'll be about three more chapters, then I'll be done. Not sure though. Please review! ^^**


	7. Burn

**Hello! ^^**

**Sorry that this chapter is a day late. I didn't have time to update yesterday.**

**Just a heads up; I probably won't be able to update for a while. Finals and AP tests are coming up and my uncle is getting married. I'm gonna be uber busy.**

**But here is the new chapter. Enjoy. ^^**

**~Chapter 7~**

**Burn**

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! You two are so adorable!"

I groaned. "Yoko…"

"I mean you had only been going out for three weeks when you decided to move in with him a week ago!" Yoko continued babbling as if she hadn't heard me. Lucky for me, she had refrained from using Spitfire's name.

His salon had opened up again and all the girls were talking about it. They were excited that he was back from his long "vacation". If only they knew.

"Maybe I should stop by and scope out his house."

"Yoko."

"Or maybe a should follow--"

"Yoko!"

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Awww, but--"

"So are you guys actually talking about a guy this time?"

I scowled as I turned my head to see Mika standing in front of my desk. "What do you want, Mika?" I sighed.

Mika rolled her eyes. "Well obviously I wanna know if you have I guy."

"And how is that any business of yours?" I asked.

She looked at me as if I was stupid. "Well I have to tell him how sorry I am for him. To be stuck with you must be awful. Especially with that arm of yours." She smirked and I just glared at her. "You won't tell me? Oh well. I'll find out eventually." With that, she turned and skipped away. Yoko and I stared after her. I leaned forward to rest my head on my hand.

"I hate girls." I deadpanned.

Yoko turned to me, face blank. "I'm a girl."

"My point exactly." Yoko feigned hurt and started to pretend cry in a corner. "Oh hush." I said. "Hey, Mika has an appointment at Spitfire's salon tomorrow, right?"

Yoko turned back to me. "Yeah, she's been bragging about it for the past two days. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I just think that I should pay Spitfire a visit at work tomorrow." A sly smirk made its way to my lips.

Yoko's eyes lit up with mischief. "Can I come too?"

"Sure." I started plotting.

"So, Sarah," Yoko started. I turned toward her. "Have you guys started sleeping together yet?"

I felt heat rise in my cheeks. "Yoko!"

~0*0~

Yoko and I walked into the salon and sat down next to each other in the waiting room. The attendant knew who I was, so she didn't make an attempt to stop me or Yoko. I saw Mika sitting on the far side of the room, dressed up and reapplying her make up for what was probably the three billionth time. Yoko snorted next to me, making Mika turn to us. She looked surprised for a moment, but then glared at us. I smiled and waved before taking out my book and opening it. Yoko and I had dressed casual. She wore a pair of white washed jeans and a sky blue tank top. I wore a denim skirt that stopped at mid-thigh and a crimson T-shirt that purposefully showed off my scar.

It was only about twenty minutes later when I heard Spitfire enter the waiting room, escorting a girl out. I watched him over the top of my book. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mika stand up, guess she was next. As Spitfire drew closer, I hid my eyes behind my book again. I heard footsteps approach me.

"Well, hello stranger."

I looked up to see Spitfire standing in front of me. I closed my book and placed it in my lap. "Hello."

"Hmmm…something about you seems different from the other girls." He said, softly enough so that only Yoko and I heard him. I shot a quick look a Mika to see her fuming; I guess Spitfire had ignored her.

"Perhaps it's because I don't fawn over you like they do." I replied, just as softly.

Spitfire smirked down at me. "Oh, but we both know that isn't true." I hid the smile I knew he could see in my eyes behind my book. Yoko giggled next to me and Spitfire flashed her a smile. He turned back to me. "So what will it be today, miss?"

"I don't want a haircut." I said.

"Really? Well then perhaps I should make you leave. Coming to a hair salon without wanting a haircut is a serious offence." He replied seriously. The playful glint in his eyes gave him away though; I giggled.

I lowered my book back to my lap rolling my eyes. "Well I suppose I could use a trim."

Spitfire smiled and bowed to me, holding out his hand. "My lady?" I smiled and took his hand, letting him pull me along. I turned back to see Yoko smirking evilly at Mika's fuming. I couldn't help but do the same and waved as I passed her.

Spitfire sat me in a chair and started cutting my hair before he asked, "So what are you really doing here?"

I pouted. "I can't visit you?"

"And you visit me at work because….?"

I sighed, knowing I had been caught. "Fine. There's this girl here who really gets under my skin--"

"Oh, so you're being shallow." He said.

I smiled. "Yep!" My smile changed into a slight frown as I continued. "I also have something I want to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Have you gone to see Kazu-kun yet?" I watched his reflection in the mirror in front of me. He stopped what he was doing and looked up.

He sighed. "I haven't."

"He and his team are having a practice tomorrow at their school."

"And you want me to go?"

"I think it would be a good idea. You really shouldn't hide from him." I said.

"He's probably going to be mad at me. Oh well. I suppose seeing his surprised expression will make up for that." Spitfire replied.

I chuckled as he finished. I stood and turned to him after examining his work in the mirror. "I don't think he'd be mad at you. He'd probably be happy or relieved more than anything else."

Spitfire gave me a quick peck on the lips before leading me out to the waiting room. Yoko stood waiting for me, a smirk still on her face, only this time it was directed at me. I held up a hand in warning. "Not a word." Yoko's expression changed to an innocent one, as if to say 'who me?'

I saw Mika watching us from the other side of the room. I smiled and waved. She stood up and walked over to us.

"What do you think you're doing, Sarah? How dare you!" she exclaimed in a harsh whisper. I just stared at her, cocking my head to the side. "How dare you act so familiar with him! He does not belong to you! He--"

Mika stopped short as Spitfire leaned in and gave me another kiss. This one lasted longer than the first, though. When Spitfire pulled back, Yoko squealed.

"You two are so cute!" She cried, jumping up and down.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Spitfire. I raised an eyebrow. "Who's shallow now?" He smirked and gave me a peck on the check. "I'll see you at home, love." He said, and then turned and walked away. I turned back to Mika. She stood there, too shocked to move. I couldn't help it; I laughed. "Sorry, Mika. Looks like I win."

"I think you just crushed her dreams." Yoko said.

I shrugged. "She didn't go through what I went through. I was trampled, and, hey, I got back up. She can deal with it. Bye, Mika." Mika just stared at me as I walked out of the salon, Yoko following behind me.

**So......whatcha think? Any good? Let me know! Bye!^^**


	8. Rekindled

**Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter took so long. I knew what I wanted to happen, but didn't now how to write it. Does that make sense? Anywho, here's the new chapter! ^^**

**ONWARD!**

**~Rekindled~  
**

As I entered Kazu's school grounds, I checked my watch. It was just past one. Which meant that practice had been going on for a couple hours now. I glanced at my surroundings before shaking my head and started heading to the back of the school. Spitfire was no where in sight. I can't really say that it bothered me; it didn't. He had told me he would be here, so he would. It was just a matter of when he would show up and how he would make his entrance. I smirked when I remember the day he promised to be here. Later that day we both ran some errands, nothing big, we were just low on milk. After we had reached the supermarket, Spitfire had started holding my hand. Occasionally, he would lean down and give me a kiss on the cheek. Now I'm not saying we never do stuff like that, it's just this time, he made sure he had at least one hand on me at all times. I didn't understand why until later.

On our way home, Mika stopped us. She looked pretty pissed off. Apparently, she had seen us in the store and followed us. Which is a little creepy, but I guess everyone has their own way of dealing with disappointment. Anyway, when she stopped us, she started yelling at us, well me, but I couldn't really understand what she was saying; she was pretty hysterical. I only caught a few words like "unfair" and "tramp" among other things. So then she tried to attack me. She lunged at me, making a grab for my throat. Spitfire was fast though; he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away from me, but she kept trying to get at me. Spitfire, being the gentlemen that he is, wouldn't hit her. So that's when I stepped up and smacked her across the face. She shut up pretty fast; I think she was surprised I actually hit her. I proceeded to give her a lecture about how she wasn't going to get everything she wanted. In simplified form, I basically told her to stop being a stuck-up bitch and deal, Spitfire was mine and I wasn't giving him up. It should be interesting when I see her in class on Monday.

My silent musings were interrupted when a small body collided with mine.

"Sarahnee-chan!"

I looked down and saw that Akito had latched onto me, burying his face in my chest, much to Onigiri and Ikki's chagrin. I laughed and hugged the small boy back. "Hi, Akito-nii." The boy let go and smiled up at me. It was still strange to me, how two completely different personalities could live in one body.

"Sarah! Where have you been!" Ikki whined at me, flailing his arms around like a kid throwing a temper tantrum.

I rolled my eyes. "Believe it or not, I actually have a life. I was busy."

Ikki frowned at me. Buccha stepped forward. "So what brought you here today?"

"Kazu-kun texted me saying you guys would be practicing today." I replied nodding my head in Kazu's direction. Kazu, having heard his name, rolled over to us telling Yayoi and Emily he'd be right back. He gave me a one-armed hug around my shoulders. "I'm glad you came, Sarah-san," he whispered in my ear, "I missed you."

I smiled at him and returned his half hug with a full one. After that, Ikki started practice, everyone pretty much did random things and I'm sure that if Ringo hadn't been there, the boys would not have been productive in any way, shape, or form.

"So when are you going to let us in on your little secret?"

I turned to my side and saw Agito standing next to me. I gave him a small smile. "So you figured it out."

He snorted. "It wasn't that hard, for me anyway. These morons are so fucking stupid, they'd loose their own heads if they weren't attached."

I smiled again. "Yet you stay on the same team as them, though you could have left long ago."

"Che." He turned away from me. After a moment he said, "I can't do that, it would make Akito to sad."

"And that's your only reason, right?" I asked. He averted his eyes, a light blush staining his cheeks. "Admit it, you like them." I prodded, ruffling his hair.

He swatted my hand away. "Fine, damn it! They don't suck ass as much as they used to. Happy?"

I merely smiled and turned my head back to watch the other boys practice. "You never answered my question." I heard Agito ask next to me. "How long do you plan to keep it a secret?"

I glanced at my watch. "I'd say about another hour, tops."

"Hey, Sarah!" I turned to see Ikki beckoning me. "Come race Kazu!"

"Fine. I'll do it because you asked so nicely, Ikki-kun." I called back as I rolled over, giving Agito a quick wave. Ikki pouted at my response, while the other three boys chuckled. Kazu and I took our starting positions while Ikki explained the course.

"Ready…..GO!" Ikki shouted.

Kazu and I took off. We were neck and neck pretty much the whole way. When we reached the finish line, it was declared a tie. I turned to look back the way we came to see trails of fire and scorch marked on the ground. I smiled. "Good job, Kazu-kun. You've really improved." I said, trying to catch my breath.

Kazu returned my smile. "Thanks, Sarah-san."

"That was pretty impressive, Kazu. You've improved a lot since I saw you last."

Everyone in the courtyard froze. I saw Kazu's eyes go wide as he looked up at the school's roof. Aside from myself and Agito, everyone's face held disbelief.

Because it was Spitfire who stood on the roof.

He skated down the side of the school on ATs he had made from some parts he and I gathered up. He was late, but he had a bag over shoulder, so I'm guessing it held the reason for his tardiness. He landed and rolled over to us, his usual smile on his face. "Looks like I made a good choice when I picked the next Flame King."

Kazu gapped at him. "But you…you're…dead…"

Spitfire rubbed the back of his head. "About that…"

"Where have you been? Are saying you've been alive this whole time? Why didn't you tell anyone?" Kazu yelled.

Spitfire just smiled sadly as Kazu caught his breath. I sighed. "Kazu-kun." He turned to me. "Spitfire couldn't tell you. He's been in a coma for the past year."

Kazu and the others stared at me. "How do you know?" Ikki asked, in one of his rare, serious moods.

"She's the one who saved my life." Spitfire said matter-of-factly.

Kazu's eyes widened. "So…that scar on your arm…"

I nodded. "I got it when I pulled Spitfire out of the flames." Taking a deep breath, I summarized the events of that night on the tower. When I finished, everyone still was still in shock, but they looked like they were starting to understand. "Why didn't you tell us?" Kazu asked after he had finished absorbing all of the information I had given him.

I swallowed, the memories and feelings of uncertainty rushing back at me. "I wasn't…I wasn't sure if…" I bit my lip and clenched my fists; I couldn't finish. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I remembered all of my fears and struggled to push them back. I fell a warm hand rest on my shoulder and looked up. Spitfire smiled at me, his crimson eyes reassuring me.

"She wasn't sure I'd wake up." Spitfire finished for me. "I was in pretty bad shape; according to the doctors I almost died seven times between all my surgeries." He laughed as if he found the thought funny. I frowned at him and he stopped. He merely ruffled my hair, reminding me that he was only kidding. I pouted.

Our silent communication didn't go unnoticed as Emily asked, "So are you guys, like, together?"

Spitfire and I looked at each other for a minute, then he smiled. He wrapped and arm around me and pulled me to his chest, catching me by surprise. "Well," he said, his eyes playful, "let's just say that, if I was Flame King, Sarah would be Flame Queen." I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Great. I was blushing. In front of a bunch of middle schoolers. Someone kill me.

Emily squealed. "That's so cute!"

She was like a younger Yoko….scary.

Yayoi just sighed and shook her head and Ringo tried to calm Emily down as she went off on a tangent about being Kazu's Queen. The boys weren't much better, but at least they didn't squeal. Agito was the only one who didn't show much surprise, but hey, that wasn't really a surprise; it's scary what that kid knows.

"Anyways," Spitfire said, catching everyone's attention, "On to more pressing matters." He let me go and walked over to Kazu, holding out the bag he had been carrying. "I believe these are yours."

Kazu took the bag, looking a little confused. He looked to me for a hint, but I just shook my head and shrugged. Hey, I may live with the guy, but that doesn't mean I know everything he does. Kazu opened the bag and his jaw dropped.

"No way." He looked up at Spitfire. "How did you…?"

Spitfire smiled. "Let's just say, I had a little…talk with Aeon."

Everyone looked totally confused until Kazu removed the bag's contents. The Flame Regalia. Everyone stared in shock, I could see Kazu's eyes shining.

Of course, Ikki had to ruin the moment.

"Hell ya! With three Kings, Kogarasumaru will be unbeatable! And I will rule you all! Mwhahahahaha!" He yelled.

"Dumbass." I heard Agito mutter, before he started to kick the crap out of Ikki. "Shut the fuck up, you fucking pansy!"

Spitfire chuckled. "I see some things never change." He turned back to Kazu, who stared up at him in wonder. I could see his eyes watering, he was holding back tears. I knew how he felt. Spitfire smiled at him and gave him a slight bow, placing a hand on his chest. "I here by relinquish my title as Flame King to Kazuma Mikura of Kogarasumaru." Spitfire looked up at Kazu. "Long may you reign."

~0*0~

After that, Ikki practically dragged us back to Ringo's house (to which he and Agito had moved back into by the way) for a celebration. Amazingly enough, he managed to hold a pretty decent party. He somehow managed to call up every team he had met. I had never seen so many Storm Riders in one place; there were even other Kings, and I swear I saw members of Sleeping Forest. The party lasted late into the night and early were all pretty much wiped at the end.

It was one of the most memorable days of my life.

**So there you have it! Chapter eight! Tell me what you think!**


	9. Flame

**Okay everyone! Sorry about the lateness. To be honest, I should have posted this two weeks ago, but I totally forgot. Sorry!**

**Anywho, this is the final chapter of Flame. So I'd like to give special thanks to the following people:**

**Reviewers: ****Jacobzwolfgirl, Lov3DrunkPunky, Ray-nee-chan, ShinoxSakura, Rika-chi, Princess-Lazy-Chan, xminidevilx, starfield75, Akamura, I'm-So-Loveable**

**Subscribers to Story Alert: ****Akamura, ****Princess-Lazy-Chan, ****ShinoxSakura, blacklightningwolf, xminidevilx, Rin136, NotxYetxDead, Ray-nee-chan, ****Jacobzwolfgirl**

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**I know I repeated, but that's how many thanks you get. Cookies for everyone! XD Well now it's time for the final chapter. ONWARD!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**~Chapter 9~**

**~Flame~  
**

Spitfire quietly closed the door behind him as he entered his house. He sighed silently as he shed the coat he always wore and tossed it to the side. It landed on the side table by the door, creating a soft thump, making Spitfire look over in its direction. He saw the bright glare of the neon green lights of the digital clock on the table. It was a little past two in the morning. Spitfire groaned mentally; Sarah would be mad. He hadn't called her to tell her that he was being dragged around town by his old AT team. He ran a hand through his wavy hair as he started to walk down the hall, giving a soft sigh as he went.

It wasn't that Sarah was being clingy and demanded to know where he was, it was just something he did to unconsciously reassure her. He had noticed that whenever he went out, especially at night, she would get this anxious look in her eyes. If he disappeared without telling her, she would usually blow up at him when he got back. But she didn't seem aware of it; in fact, it seemed more like a subconscious reaction. She never understood why she yelled at him and would usually apologize right after she did. Spitfire guessed it was part of the aftermath of his long hospitalization. Because of that, he tried to tell her whenever he went somewhere to try and ease her fear that he would disappear again.

He entered the living room, half expecting to see Sarah sitting on the couch glaring at him, arms crossed over her chest. Instead, he found her sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, fast asleep. Her head was on the table, cushioned by her arm resting under it. Her other hand rested limply on the keyboard of her laptop, which was on the table in front of her. It was in sleep mode, Spitfire noticed, when he saw the blinking yellow light, signaling that it was still on. She was in her night clothes which consisted of a red tank top and a pair of black boy shorts.

A soft smile graced Spitfire's lips as he silently walked over to her. He gently lifted Sarah's hand off the computer and woke it up. He saved whatever she was working on, a story or a poem of some sort he guessed, going by the title, which was _The Phoenix Reborn from the Flame_, and shut it down. He then carefully lifted her up, carrying her bridal style to their bedroom. Her head rested on his shoulder as she snuggled deeper into his hold. He saw a smile form on her lips and felt her fingers curl into his shirt.

Smiling himself, Spitfire gently lay her down in bed before changing and lying down next to her. He wrapped an arm around Sarah as she curled into his side, whispering his name into his chest. He smiled, giving her a quick, soft kiss on the forehead before surrendering himself to sleep.

~0*0~

I opened my eyes, and immediately shut them again. Why did the sun have to be so bright in the morning? I rolled over, pulling the covers tighter around me, and curled up into my pillow. It was about ten minutes later that I realized I was in bed and my pillow was moving. How the heck did I get in bed?

Again, I opened my eyes, only this time, I was met with Spitfire's sleeping form. My head was resting on his bare chest, his steady heart beat sounding in my ear. His arm was loosely wrapped around my waist. I turned my head to the side, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. It read ten in the morning.

Under normal circumstances, I would have freaked out. However, these weren't normal circumstances. For one thing, I didn't have any classes today, so I didn't have to get up early. The second thing was, now don't take this the wrong way; I was still in bed with Spitfire. He was usually an early riser, so I hardly get to wake up to him. I guessed he must have been out pretty late last night to still be sleeping; normally, he would be trying to wake me up right now.

I reached up and let my hand trace over his facial features, running my fingers down his neck and shoulder, and down the arm that was around my waist before trailing back up again. It soon became an unconscious motion, as I closed my eyes and lay there, taking in his scent, the steady pounding of his heart, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest every time he took a breath. I immersed myself in him, taking in all that I could. Suddenly, his breathing pattern changed, only ever so slightly, and I knew he was awake, though he gave no sign of opening his eyes.

My hand stopped at his neck, my thumb stroking his cheek. I propped myself up, using my other arm to support my weight. Slowly, I lowered myself down so that I was only a hairs width away from his mouth.

"I know you're awake." I whispered against his lips. I felt him smile as I closed the already small gap.

My world did a one-eighty, and I found myself under the ex-Flame King. He deepened the kiss, one hand on my hip trailing down to the bare skin of my thigh, the other arm supporting his weight so as to avoid hurting me. My arms wrapped around his neck, my fingers tangling themselves in his hair. Eventually, he pulled away.

I gave him a lazy smile. "G'morning." I said.

He stared down at me and licked his lips, looking thoughtful. "That's odd," he said, earning a questioning look from me, "I usually wake up first."

"Well maybe you just stayed out to late last night." I said matter-of-factly.

"About that…" Spitfire trailed off, suddenly looking guilty about something.

I immediately reached up and cupped his face in my hands, bringing his lips to mine. He wasn't prepared for the sudden kiss, but returned it none the less. This time I broke the kiss and he rested his forehead on mine, his crimson orbs searching my teal ones.

"It's fine, you came back." I whispered, my eyes half closed. "You promised you wouldn't disappear, so you won't." Spitfire stared at me for a while longer before smiling and claiming my lips again. I knew everything would be fine, after all Spitfire had never broken a promise to me. He couldn't, because we were bound to each other, bound by a bond sealed by fire. And if he is the fire, then I am the flame.

**Well that's it. Thanks again to everyone who read my story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


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